Central Asia And Russia, China: Who’s Waxing, Who’s Waning?

Since Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine, Central Asian states have been working to lessen their dependence on their former colonizer. Yet all five Central Asian leaders went to Moscow this year for the May 9 Victory Day parade, four on very short notice. And all five will be in China on May-18-19. So in terms of geopolitics: where is Central Asia now? Joining host Bruce Pannier to discuss are Nargis Kassenova, senior fellow and director of the program on Central Asia at Harvard Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies; Paul Stronski, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment’s Russia and Eurasia program; and Francis Olmos, senior researcher in Central Asian affairs at Spain’s GEOPOL 21 Center.